OT: Jim Mora "Come to UCLA to avoid murder!"
Jim Mora said this...
"When you're talking about UCLA, it's one of the great schools in the world -- not just America, but in the world," Mora said. "It's a safe, beautiful campus in a great area of town. I mean, we don't have murders one block off our campus."
But he wasn't talking about two USC students who were killed in April. He attempted to apologize but apparantly doesn't understand what an apology is.
"After learning the details of the shootings downtown earlier this year, I can understand how my comments on the radio yesterday could be interpreted as insensitive to the victims and their families," Mora said. "The interviewer and myself were talking about UCLA football and the tremendous attributes of the UCLA campus and I truly regret and I'm sorry if my words caused any pain. That was not my intention."
Lane Kiffin goes all Forest Gump...
"I don't really think that's something to joke about," Kiffin said Thursday, when asked how he felt about what Mora said. "That's all I got to say about that."
...then immediately says more "about that."
"I would like to say that our staff does not negative recruit," Kiffin said. "There's so many good things to talk about here, as far as the school and the history of the program.
"It's the greatest place in the world, so there's no need to talk about other places."
In conclusion, the fact that I follow college football recruiting makes me feel dirty. I'm going to take a shower now.
August 10th, 2012 at 12:13 PM ^
Just sounds like a giant douche and a turd sandwich going at it.
August 10th, 2012 at 12:33 PM ^
Giant douche: no sir, and if you'll pardon me, you are, in fact, the turd sandwich.
August 10th, 2012 at 12:17 PM ^
I'm glad nobody was gunned down last night or this morning outside the UCLA campus, after Jim Mora said that. But I bet I'm not as glad as Jim Mora.
August 10th, 2012 at 12:20 PM ^
oops....that's daddy
August 10th, 2012 at 12:23 PM ^
I'm going to miss you, Brady Hoke.
August 10th, 2012 at 12:29 PM ^
"If anybody, whether USC or Cal State San Bernardino, is offended by the statement, then that's their insecurity, not mine." - Jim Mora
Exactly, Jim. UCLA has a long-standing rivalry with the University Of South Carolina and clearly that remark was directed at them and their campus in the West Adams part of Columbia.
August 10th, 2012 at 12:30 PM ^
While in town for the Rose Bowl, I went to go check out USC's campus. I took one wrong turn and I was in Compton.
August 10th, 2012 at 12:42 PM ^
August 10th, 2012 at 1:59 PM ^
I don't believe you. Compton is a good 10-15 miles from USC's campus. So you made a wrong turn and then drove in that direction for half an hour through LA traffic? That just means you're a bad driver.
August 10th, 2012 at 7:43 PM ^
Compton is not anywhere near USC there isn't even an In n Out Burger in Compton. Maybe he is confusing Culver City with Compton.
August 10th, 2012 at 7:24 PM ^
I'm pretty sure the Jim Mora @ UCLA is the son of the former heasd coach of the Saints and Colts . After seeing what he had to say, though, it's a pretty clear case of the old adage "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree".
August 10th, 2012 at 12:33 PM ^
Of course, what he said is basically true. Westwood is much nicer/safer than University Park. It's just one of those things you're not supposed to actually say in public.
August 10th, 2012 at 1:31 PM ^
I live outside of the USC ramparts, and the possibility of being casually murdered does sort of hang in the air here. I protect myself with open carry of a Microsoft Zune.
August 10th, 2012 at 7:36 PM ^
My brother graduated from SC and he lived right off of campus. During the day, I don't think there was an issue. The area immediately west and north of campus is not all that bad. Granted that most students who go to USC come from priviledge background (hence Univ. of Spoild Children) it is easy to see why people would say its a rough area. The area South of Exposition Park is an area I don't feel comfortable in at any time. You are more likely to get robbed than you are killed off campus.
August 10th, 2012 at 1:43 PM ^
At this point, location is the only thing UCLA can claim over USC. They used to be able to tout their academics, but USC has been on the rise while UCLA suffers from the state budget. USC outranked UCLA academically for the first time last year.
Mora's comments are true, but inappropriate, especially talking to an audience of Los Angelinos on the radio. The murders are still a pretty recent trauma here and using them to affect football recruiting seems rather tasteless.
Worse though, in my opinion, is his pretense that he wasn't referring to USC, and his statement that that interpretation is only due to "their insecurities". Really? Even if you didn't intend it that way (which you obviously did), you can't even see how it would appear that way?
He's either consciously trying to stoke the rivalry or he's seriously poor at public relations.
August 10th, 2012 at 12:40 PM ^
This is getting super-overblown in my opinion. It's no secret that UCLA is in a nicer part of LA than USC is and Mora was just talking about how he recruits guys to UCLA (presumably head-to-head against USC). Obviously that's terrible that those two graduate students were murdered and it's not something to take lightly, but doesn't that just mean that Mora is kind of right?
August 10th, 2012 at 12:41 PM ^
I don't see anything wrong with what he said. For one he didn't name names of any other schools according to what I read.
Also he's right... UCLA's campus is beautiful and in a great part of town. I almost went there instead of Michigan.
Last but not least... What's wrong with talking about campus safety? I know it's an issue for a lot of undergrads and their parents with regard to school choices. What's so different about a coach bringing it up?
August 10th, 2012 at 1:08 PM ^
It's just one of those situations that require tact. Can you picture Hoke saying:
"Come to Michigan, we have academics AND we won't send any of you on a scissor lift in a windstorm."
Of course, both those statements are true, just maybe not best aired out in public.
August 10th, 2012 at 3:36 PM ^
I see the point you're making.
But at the same time that's a more specific statement than Mora made. He didn't single out any one school by saying that his school is safe.
Sure USC is their rival... But he could have been talking about Temple.
I still don't see it as negative recruiting. By that logic he could say we have a beautiful southern california climate and be accused of throwing shade at Michigan.
August 10th, 2012 at 7:31 PM ^
You might be missing the point that two people were murdered a couple blocks off of USC's campus just last year. It's an incident everyone who lives here is familiar with.
There's no way "we don't have murders one block away from our campus" does not evoke that specific incident, which is extremely tasteless. I also have a hard time believing it was an accidental reference.
August 10th, 2012 at 12:41 PM ^
Anyone who has been to both campuses knows exactly what Mora is talking about. UCLA feels like heaven on a hill. USC IS a ghetto.
While he shouldn't have said it publicly, I'm surprised this hasn't been used more effectively in private with recruits. Again, just visit both places and you will be more than a little suspicious how USC has been able to attract so many more top-flight football players than UCLA over the years.
August 10th, 2012 at 1:23 PM ^
It's very weird that USC has the rep as the "University of Spoiled Children" and that UCLA is the "poor public school" when you actually visit them. You'd think it'd be the other way around.
UCLA is in the best part of town, close to a lot of attractions and not too far from the beach. USC's campus is okay, but once you leave it, you're in South Central.
August 10th, 2012 at 1:33 PM ^
August 10th, 2012 at 2:04 PM ^
I agree. UCLA is also a rich kid school, for the most part. Like Michigan, it's very tough to get in to and gives very little scholarship. Plus living on/near campus costs an arm and a leg. It certainly does not have a poor public school reputation.
August 13th, 2012 at 2:36 AM ^
August 10th, 2012 at 1:14 PM ^
This got blown out of proportion.
August 10th, 2012 at 3:26 PM ^
it's a great campus in a safe part of town and been done with it.
August 13th, 2012 at 2:38 AM ^
August 13th, 2012 at 2:39 AM ^
August 10th, 2012 at 2:42 PM ^
I shudder to think about what the rest of the ACC and (lets be honest here) SEC says about Virginia Tech... Negative recruiting is a dirty tactic but damn if it doesn't work on some high profile & naive recruits. It's kind of depressing to think that a coach might use a massacre and a shooting to sway a teenagers interest.
August 10th, 2012 at 3:46 PM ^
I don't know if a coach would dare go that far. That would be an unspeakably nasty level of dickishness.
August 10th, 2012 at 5:54 PM ^
August 10th, 2012 at 8:09 PM ^